The U.S. Department of Commerce and the
U.S. Department of the Interior will convene the 10th U.S. Coral Reef
Task Force (USCRTF) meeting in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) and the Territory of Guam October 3 and 6. The two-day
meeting will be co-hosted by the governments of CNMI and Guam with
one day of activity slated for each location.

The USCRTF will discuss implementation
of the National Coral Reef Action Strategy, progress concerning development
of three-year “Local Action Strategies,” the results of
research reef assessments in the Pacific Island region, and ways in
which the task force and its member agencies can help build capacity
to protect coral reef ecosystems in the Pacific and globally.

Co-chaired by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Tim Keeney, deputy assistant
secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and Craig Manson,
assistant secretary of the interior, the meeting will be attended
by representatives of 12 federal agencies; governors of seven states,
territories and commonwealths; and representatives of the Republic
of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic
of Palau.

“Coral reefs are some of the most
diverse and valuable marine ecosystems on the planet. Protecting these
important ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend
on them is a high priority for the United States and others in the
international community,” Keeney said. “This meeting of
the Coral Reef Task Force, set in the midst of island communities
with a long history of use and management of reef habitats, emphasizes
the continuing need by all interested parties to work together to
safeguard this culturally, economically and ecologically valuable
resource.”

At the meeting, the USCRTF will consider
a series of resolutions calling for improvement of Pacific waste water
treatments and other measures to reduce impacts of pollution on reefs;
continuation of a NOAA-sponsored Marianas Reef Assessment Monitoring
Program; increasing collaborations between various international activities
and the USCRTF; the establishment of an integrated program for understanding
local and system-wide impacts of climate change on corals reefs; and
development of response plans in collaboration with the Department
of Homeland Security to reduce impacts on coral reef habitats during
natural disasters.

Additionally, Keeney is expected to announce
NOAA Sea Grant’s commitment to establishing a presence at the
University of Guam and to capacity building in the Pacific region
in conjunction with other NOAA programs.

The Commerce Department’s National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing
economic security and national safety through the prediction and research
of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental
stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.